Reminder: Sync your devices as Active U Autumn begins

Registration is open for MHealthy’s 6th annual Active U Autumn physical activity challenge and charity fundraiser. New for 2016, participants will have more options to sync a tracking device and this year’s donations will support the continuing efforts around the Flint water crisis.

The eight-week program, which begins today, uses team camaraderie, peer motivation and online tracking to encourage participants to be active at least three days a week and work toward achieving their personal exercise goal. For extra motivation, there are opportunities to win Amazon gift cards for logging minutes or sharing photos on social media.

U-M faculty, staff, students, retirees and spouses/other qualified adults (OQA) of employees can sign up as an individual, join a team or create a team by inviting colleagues and university friends to register. Participants can begin logging their physical activity now. Last year, nearly 7,000 people logged over 9 million physical activity minutes.

To make logging time easier, Active U Autumn continues to expand the number of ways to track activity. In addition to logging via the website, text message, and mobile app, participants can now sync their Fitbit, Garmin or Jawbone wearable tracking device. They can also sync to the free version of Runkeeper, an activity tracking app available on iPhone and Android smartphones.

“The use of wearable activity trackers continues to grow and we’re excited to be able to accommodate more devices this year,” said Colleen Greene, MHealthy senior wellness coordinator. “Nearly 3,000 people synced their Fitbit to this winter’s Active U program and by adding Garmin, Jawbone and Runkeeper, more people will have a seamless experience.”

Active U Autumn not only encourages the university community to move more but also to give back. This year, participant donations will go toward U-M Flint’s Community Impact Fund, which was created in response to the water crisis facing the city of Flint. This fund supports the efforts that UM-Flint students, faculty, and staff are undertaking with community partners to protect the health of residents in the region.

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